Louisville Leaves Big East, Signs with ACC

Louisville is the latest to bail on the Big East and jump ship to the ACC. The Cardinals have long been considered a perfect fit for the ACC in both Basketball and Football.

The conference should be a basketball powerhouse with these realignment moves but everyone knows that football is what drives these moves. Louisville has become competitive under head coach Charlie Strong and the ACC has never been confused with a powerhouse football conference.

Teams like Miami and Florida State consistently underachieve leaving the door open for some of these new ACC teams to make their way into major bowl games.

These are a few excerpts from the ACC’s official press release:

The Atlantic Coast Conference Council of Presidents has unanimously voted to accept the University of Louisville as its newest member. The vote followed the submission of Louisville’s letter of application.

“With the addition of the University of Louisville, the ACC continues to be well positioned for the future competing at the highest level in all facets of the collegiate experience,” said the ACC Council of Presidents in a joint statement. “The ACC continues to be a vibrant conference that remains steadfast in its commitment to balancing academics and athletics.”

“The University of Louisville will be a terrific member of the Atlantic Coast Conference,” said University of North Carolina Chancellor Holden Thorp, chair of the ACC Council of Presidents. “We welcome them as full partners into the ACC.”

“With its aggressive approach to excellence in every respect, the University of Louisville will enhance our league’s culture and commitment to the cornerstones we were founded on 60 years ago,” said ACC Commissioner John Swofford. “The University of Louisville is an outstanding addition to the Atlantic Coast Conference and I commend the Council of Presidents for continuing to position our league for the long-term future. If you look at what has been done over the last 15 months, the ACC has only gotten stronger with the additions of Louisville, Notre Dame, Pitt and Syracuse.”